Corporate trails: Relationship building and the BBC

In recent years UK television broadcasting organisations have increasingly come to realise the importance of building relationships with their various stakeholders. In particular, substantial resources have been invested in a variety of activities to brand these stations, both on‐ and off‐air. As part of a continuing programme of research into the on‐air aspects of television’s self‐promotion, this paper considers what is probably the most salient of these activities: on‐air corporate trails or promos. These are to be distinguished from other, related forms which are seen on television sets, notably station idents and trails for individual programmes or series. By contrast corporate trails, like corporate advertising, attempt to foster a broader positive image of the organisation concerned among viewers, advertisers, shareholders (where appropriate), legislators, independent producers, the rest of the media, in‐house staff and other groups. The case of the BBC is especially interesting on two counts: now more than ever it has to struggle to justify itself as a public service broadcaster funded by a licence fee, and it has been responsible for producing some of the most creatively adventurous campaigns.